1. Field of the Disclosure
Generally, methods and systems are disclosed for analyzing and presenting risk for transactions between consumers using a transaction data repository. More specifically, methods and systems are disclosed for opt-in, multi-faceted risk determinations geared toward customer-to-customer (C2C) transactions on brokerage websites such as eBay, Amazon.com, etc.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Non-merchant consumers are more often becoming their own sellers of goods and services through websites such as eBay, Craigslist, Amazon, etc. Because the World Wide Web greatly expands the geographical reach of advertisements, more people and a more diverse audience can be reached with advertisements on such websites. This larger audience remains, for better or for worse, largely anonymous.
Some people use the anonymity of the Web and ready mobility of modern times to help perpetrate fraud, such as by initiating fraudulent purchases on such websites. Others stretch the boundaries of good faith in transactions, often returning items without reasonable cause or otherwise being a nuisance after a transaction. These people often use their anonymity as a shield.
There is a challenge in determining with which parties are safe to buy, sell, and transact. Today, one of the main standards for determining the safety of a transaction on one of the above-listed websites is, for example, a consumer's “star rating.” The star rating system, typically one to five stars, is based on other consumers rating and/or reviewing their experiences during transactions with a person operating under a particular alias. However, the star rating is inherently subjective. One person's 3-star rating may be another person's 4-star rating. Furthermore, star ratings usually only apply to a particular alias or account of a person. Also a star rating typically only rates transactions facilitated through a particular vendor's web site.
Thus, there is a need for more reliable consumer-to-consumer risk profiling for transactions between consumers.